


Yuletide

by Yatorihell



Series: In The Darkness [8]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, ノラガミ | Noragami
Genre: Dorks, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2017-05-28
Packaged: 2018-11-02 23:18:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10954812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yatorihell/pseuds/Yatorihell
Summary: Christmas at Hogwarts is more exciting that Hiyori first thought with the help of some magic and friends.Thank you to Gio (the_musical_alchemist) for beta-ing me!Dedicated to the marshmallow Ink (dr-gothtastic.tumblr), happy birthday!!!! <3<3<3





	Yuletide

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nevgrey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nevgrey/gifts).



Christmas break drew a breath of relief from the school – its students and teachers alike – as the majority happily packed their bags to head home for the festive season. Despite the dwindling number of students as Christmas Eve arrived, the castle was still being adorned and decorated with yuletide spirit. Multiple Christmas trees had been tucked into every corner of the castle with their enchanted ornaments and sparkling lights, as well as sprigs and bunches of mistletoe hidden not so discreetly in the common rooms to allow couples an excuse to suck each other’s faces off.

Hiyori was thankful that couples such as these had headed home, leaving her practically alone in the Gryffindor common room. She had managed to convince her parents to let her stay over Christmas; after all, they would be working through the holidays anyway, and it would give Hiyori a chance to get to grips with spells now she was free from her schedule and the classrooms were empty. Also, the idea of an enchanted Christmas in a magic castle was more appealing to Hiyori than what she was used to growing up, but she would never admit that.

Her days were filled with many attempts, and fails, of spells that they had been learning for that term, be it charms, transfiguration or Defence Against the Dark Arts. She was sure she was improving a little until a familiar voice from the classrooms doorway caught her attention.

“You still hold your wand wrong.”

Hiyori looked sideways to the source of the voice, finding Yato leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded and legs crossed.

She was more surprised at his presence than his comment, which was starting to become second nature whenever they crossed paths. “Why aren’t you home? It’s Christmas!”

“I could say the same thing to you,” he replied cordially, idly walking into the room and sitting on a desk close to the door. “Why are you still here?”

Hiyori huffed at the interruption, telling her that her practice time was over so long as Yato was there. She lay her wand down on her desk before pulling out a chair and turning it to face Yato and sitting down.

“My parents are doctors, so they’ll be working for most of the holidays. My brother is travelling, and my grandmother has gone away,” Hiyori explained, Yato’s curiosity fixed on her. “It’s easier to stay here than to have to arrange for someone to get me and bring me back from the train station.”

Hiyori scuffed her foot on the floor and looked at the ceiling.

“I need to practice more, and I can’t do magic at home,” Hiyori went on before adding a final remark under her breath, more as a reminder to herself than an explanation to Yato, “and I need to practice flying.”

Of course, Yato heard this and his face split into a grin. “I’ll say.”

Hiyori shot him a glare, but had to bite back a smile as she recalled how she had managed to floor him the first time they met. Suddenly she recalled the quidditch match back in November and her attention snapped to Yato with keen interest.

“You’re a Seeker, aren’t you?” she asked, trying to downplay the excitement in her voice.

“Yeah, got put on the team this year,” Yato replied casually. He stood up and walked over to the class’ door, shoving his hands into his pockets before looking over his shoulder. Hiyori gave him a puzzled look at sudden urge to leave, but was answered before she could question him.

“It’s time for tea, you coming?”

Hiyori glanced out of the door, seeing that the sun had completely sunk into the horizon and left the sky pitch black. Hiyori ‘oh-ed’ and quickly grabbed her bag, stuffing her textbook and wand in as she hurried after Yato who had begun strolling down the hallway.

“So,” she panted, trying to keep up with his long strides as they began descending the staircase, “your broom, it’s a Nimbus Two Thousand, right?”

“What about it?” Yato replied, casting her a look which was somewhat warning her not to ask about it.

“Well, they’re good brooms, aren’t they? Fast. That’s how you got to the Snitch before Bishamon.” _Along with a huge dose of stupidity,_ Hiyori might’ve added if she was trying to berate his surfer-style method of seeking.

“Or I could just be a better Seeker than the Lion Princess,” Yato said smugly. Hiyori was quiet for a moment, not wanting to agree but unable to disagree. He did win the game, and beat Bishamon by a hair's breadth.

“Why do you dislike Bishamon so much?” she asked tentatively, watching his reaction change from a smirk into more of a grimace.

“I guess you can call it bad blood,” he said tautly, his voice taking on a tone Hiyori had heard somewhere before but couldn’t place. “Anything else you’d like to ask?”

Hiyori gave him a small shake of the head, worried that she had touched on a sensitive subject. _That tone,_ Hiyori searched her mind before realising where she had heard it before. _It’s the same one he used with the bully. Menacing._ Silenced ensued the rest of their walk to the Great Hall, but was broken as Hiyori noticed Yukine was about to vanish around the corner into the dining room. She called out to him.

Stopping short, he poked his head back around the door and looked around in a daze. Yukine’s tousled hair and the dark circles under his eyes told Hiyori that he had either been awake all night and day or had just rolled out of bed, both of which were plausible considering Yukine’s lethargic response. Hiyori trotted up to him, happy to have a way out of the uncomfortable silence between herself and Yato.

"Yukine!" Hiyori exclaimed, a little too animatedly. She was desperate for a normal conversation after the awkwardness with Yato. "Why are you still here?"

Yukine shrugged and raked a hand through his hair in an attempt to tame it, which only made him look like a blonde badger had found a new sett on his head – something entirely possible given the number of knots and flecks of grime that had found its way into his hair.

Hiyori stopped short at this observation, instead tilting her head to the side and narrowing her eyes at his appearance the way a mother would look at a child who had decided to dig up worms in their Sunday Best. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, just tired,” he replied a little too quickly, dragging a hand across his eyes in an attempt to rub the sleep from them. “Let’s eat.”

Yukine vanished into the room, leaving Hiyori and Yato to trail in his wake. The Grand Hall held the largest Christmas tree, centred behind the empty teacher's table and just about blocking out the snowstorm which battered against the high arched window. Smaller yet impressive trees lined the edges of the room, matching the golden crescent moons and stars ornaments that had seemed to be the theme for the year. Goblets of fire had been brought in for extra warmth now that winter had truly settled in, the heat of the flames warming them briefly as they made their way to an empty space on one of the tables.

The remaining students had intermingled, disregarding the setup of the house tables in favour for playing wizard chess or sprawling their textbooks and parchment between the platters of food. Sitting close to one of the hearths precariously close to the tree, Hiyori and Yukine tucked their legs under the table other whilst Yato sat opposite, his legs stretching out on his bench.

With no need for heaps of food to feed the entire school as it usually did, the platters were full of meats and sandwiches, rolls of bread and pastries, as well as sweet treats that were seldom seen on the table except for special occasions. Christmassy items had also made an appearance: turkey, mince pies, and as self-igniting Christmas puddings which combusted into flames once they were cut.

Arrangements of Christmas crackers had been shoved into makeshift bouquets of gold and silver, shaking mysteriously with their magical treats inside. Yato grabbed one and held it up, waiting for either of the pair across from him to pull the other end. Yukine held it but didn’t bother pulling, which was a mistake as the force Yato used could’ve taken his am off if he were holding on tightly.

With a loud snap the cracker burst open and a shower of white sweets scattered over the table. Hiyori caught one in her hand as it rolled off the table and held it at eye level for closer inspection, wondering what sort of things wizard crackers held compared to the mundane ones she’d grown up with.

 _A white chocolate mouse_ , Hiyori observed, slightly disappointed that it wasn’t something more mythical. That was until it twitched. With a few more jerks, the sweet had wriggled its legs apart and raised its head, scampering around as it tried to avoid melting from the warmth of Hiyori’s hand.

Hiyori let out a shriek and threw the sweet back onto the table. It rejoined its other enchanted friends who were darting between the plates and avoiding Hiyori who hadn’t stopped shrieking yet. Yato grinned at the sight, enjoying the show far too much to intervene or ‘save’ her from the mice. Yukine held his head in his hands and let out a prolonged groan, covering his ears to muffle the noise which was drilling into his head. Only when the small swarm had scuttled away did Hiyori cease her yelling, with reddened cheeks and a heaving chest.

“Not a fan of mice?” Yato asked a bit too innocently, not bothering to hide the grin still plastered across his face.

Hiyori glared at him but didn’t retort; it would only feed his ego. Instead she reached for a plate and began helping herself to the sandwiches in between them, somewhat cautiously in fear that there were still mice lurking.

Silence settled over the group as Yato picked up a mince pie and scoffed it down before picking up another. After a few minutes Yukine raised his head, dragging his fingers through his hair. He blearily squinted at the platters for a moment before picking at a slice of turkey. Hiyori watched him out of the corner of her eye, thinking of something to say to break the silence and chirp Yukine up.

“So…” she said listlessly, picking up a mince pie from the pile of what Yato had already demolished. “What are you doing for Christmas?”

“Sleeping.” Yukine mumbled, stretching to pick up a cheese sandwich. He picked at the bread, tearing off bite size chunks before dropping them into his plate. Hiyori bit her lip, her hopes of a conversation fading.

“Well, it would be nice if…well…we spent the day together.” Embarrassed by her straightforwardness and the silence that followed, Hiyori distracted herself with more food. She couldn’t tell if the burning in her cheeks was from her redness or the eyes she knew that were focused on her. Yato finally broke the silence.

“Splendid. We’ll meet you outside your common room at 7AM,” he declared, ripping into a piece of ham that he hadn’t bothered to cut up.

Hiyori looked at him disappointedly, wishing it had been Yukine to reply. Was Yato too blind to see that something was bothering him? Yato caught Hiyori’s eye, noticing her slight frown. She discreetly tilted her head to Yukine who had swung his legs around the table, about to leave.

Yato glanced at him. He did look worse than usual.

“I’ll pick you up outside your dorm, Puff. Don’t want to disappoint the lady, do we?”

Yukine grunted what could’ve been a response, though it was impossible to tell if it was negative or positive. Hiyori watched him leave, thoughts swimming in her head about what could be the matter. Yato crossed his arms and leaned across the table, conspicuously closer to Hiyori.

“You know,” he said in a dramatic whisper, “I think something’s wrong with Yukine.”

 

~

 

Christmas Day brought a fresh downfall off snow: 2-foot-high and untouched when Hiyori looked out of her frosted window. She grinned, pulling her Gryffindor jumper over her pyjama top before racing downstairs. She stole a glance at the Christmas tree in the common room, aptly decorated with golden lions and adorned with red and gold tinsel and baubles. The small stack of parcels her parents had sent her were tucked under the lower branches of the tree, away from a few smatterings of packages addressed to other residents. No one else seemed to be up yet, so no one would mind if she let different housemen in. It was Christmas, after all.

The portrait door swung open noiselessly, allowing Hiyori to lean out of the room and keep the door ajar. The Fat Lady, the guard of Gryffindor’s common room, clutched a glass of red wine in her hand and giggled, batting away an invading knight who had entered her portrait with festive spirit. Hiyori smiled and greeted them. She received a raucous reply from the couple, clearly tipsy already, who were then shouted at by the surrounding portraits who were trying to snooze a bit longer. The Fat Lady clucked her tongue and whispered something into the knight’s helmet, to which he nodded and they both stumbled out of the frame. Hiyori’s eyes followed them and her attention was drawn to the staircase where she could hear new voices. The top of a head of dark hair was the first thing Hiyori could see, telling her that her guests had arrived.

Yato was apparently frogmarching Yukine up the staircase, their footsteps echoing slightly in the quiet of the castle. Yato looked up, seeing that Hiyori was waiting for them already.

“Mornin’!” he called brightly, making Yukine wince and put a hand to his head. “Merry Christmas!”

Yato seemed to have made an effort to get dressed whereas Yukine was still in blue pyjamas and yawning fiercely. Hiyori noticed that he had nothing on his feet, as if he had been dragged out of bed just seconds ago.

“Merry Christmas, Yato, Yukine,” Hiyori replied with matching, but more gentler, enthusiasm. Yukine glanced up at Hiyori but immediately averted his eyes, Hiyori’s sleepy smile and comfort clothes making him turn a slight shade of red.

“Merry Christmas,” Yukine mumbled. He tried to flatten his hair, which had somehow become even wilder in his sleep, and open his eyes wide enough to feign attention.

“The Fat Lady isn’t around is she?” Yato asked, peaking over Hiyori’s shoulder at the empty frame cautiously. Hiyori gave him a curious look and shook her head slightly.

“No, why do you ask?”

Yato grinned.

“We had a disagreement a while ago.” he replied with a careless grin. “I wanted to come in to give Bishamon… let’s say a present, and she wouldn’t let me in.”

Yato shrugged nonchalantly, clearly cutting off the rest of his story, which was probably a good thing as Hiyori didn’t want to know what his ‘present’ was. Instead, he invited himself into the common room, forcing Hiyori to stand aside in the narrow gap of the doorway as Yukine followed suit.

Hiyori closed the portrait hole and followed them into the main room. Yukine had flopped down in the closest armchair and let his head fall back against the cushion, eyes closed as if he were ready to go back to sleep. Yato stood in the centre of the room with his hands shoved in his pockets, slowly turning on his heel to take in the features of the room he’d tried so desperately to get into before.

“Well, I’m here now. I guess I can give Bishamon her present.” Yato grinned wickedly, looking back at Hiyori who had an unimpressed expression on her face.

“You know the stairs are charmed so that any boys who try to the girl’s rooms will fall down a slide.” Hiyori said with a pinprick of satisfaction as Yato’s face fell.

“Don’t suppose you’d like to deliver it for me?”

“No chance.”

Yato huffed and jumped on the sofa, tucking his arms behind his head and stretching his legs out so Hiyori would have nowhere to sit. Instead, Hiyori crossed the room to the tree and ducked under it to retrieve the stash of presents. She held the parcels in her arms, careful not to drop them as she sat on the red and gold rug in front of the fireplace. Rummaging until she found the right ones, she pulled out two parcels she had specially asked her parents to get for her. Her owl was less than impressed when she had hauled package after package into the Great Hall every morning for a week to deliver Christmas presents.

Hiyori gently threw one of the packages to Yato before leaning over to place another on Yukine’s lap. He cracked open an eye, tilting his head to look at what she had put on his lap. Simultaneously, they both turned to look at her, a mix of surprise and pleasure evident on their faces.

“What?” Hiyori blushed. “It’s Christmas.”

They both grinned and began ripping the packaging off their presents, Hiyori watching expectantly. With no idea of what the pair liked, she had only thought of practical things that they could use.

Yato was the first to open his parcel, eagerness apparent as fragments of brown paper lay strewn across the floor. Inside he found a packet of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, a quill, and a black beanie. Yato’s face fell for a second before he caught his reaction, quickly arranging his face into a grateful smile.

“Thanks.” He said, grateful at least that he had something to open this year. Hiyori smiled coyly before looking back at Yukine who was examining his presents; two chocolate frogs, an ornate ink pot, and a pair of black gloves.

“I wasn’t sure on what you would like,” Hiyori admitted following Yukine’s silence, “so I thought a few little things would be nice.”

“Thank you,” Yukine murmured quietly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get you anything.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Hiyori said quickly, waving her hands, “I didn’t expect anything. Besides, my parents sent me some things.”

Hiyori turned her attention to the parcels in front of her and began opening them. It seemed that her parents had tried to find what they would call ‘appropriate gifts’ for an eleven-year-old girl in Diagon Alley – two textbooks about astrology and wizard history, a brown quill, a chocolate frog, and some new clothes.

Hiyori picked up the chocolate frog, perplexed at why anyone would make a frog instead of something more mythical like a dragon or unicorn. She opened the folded case - rich purple and decorated with gold in a hexagon shape – to find a small brown frog sat inside. And once again like the night before, the sweet moved.

Only, it decided to jump on Hiyori’s head.

With a tremendous scream that was sure to wake the whole castle, Hiyori frantically tried to bat the frog off her head to no avail. Yukine, barely audible over the yells, shouted for Yato to ‘Do something for the love of god’ before burying his head under a cushion to block out the noise.

Yato – trying and failing to stop himself from busting a gut with laughter – knew that if he didn’t shut her up then someone would come down and probably demand they leave. He dived forward on his knees so he was in front of Hiyori, quickly scooping the frog up into his hands and throwing it aside before clamping a hand over Hiyori’s mouth.

Hiyori’s muffled screams ceased the moment Yato drolly said: “You really don’t like magical sweets, don’t you?”

Hiyori looked up, her mouth and nose covered by Yato’s hand leaving only her wide brown eyes visible under her messed up fringe. Yato’s own eyes were sparkling with amusement. She pushed his hand away, taking a shaky breath.

“When they decide to attack me then no, I don’t like them.”

A devious thought crossed Yato’s mind. “Well, try these instead.”

He turned and reached for the beans she had given him, opening the packet and shaking a few into his palm. Yukine had emerged from under the pillow, watching the scene unfolded. Yato discreetly winked at him, urging him to keep quiet whilst Hiyori looked around for any sign of the chocolate frog.

Hiyori jumped back as he offered his hand to her, not trusting the brightly coloured sweets – even if they did resemble beans.

“Every Flavour Beans,” Yato said, shaking them slightly as if to entice Hiyori, “neither alive nor animals.”

Hiyori picked up a speckled grey bean, holding it up as if to check for any signs of life. She glanced at Yato who picked one up himself – a pink bean – and raised it as if making a toast. Somewhat distrustingly, Hiyori popped the bean into her mouth. The initial flavour was fine, until she began to chew. A sharp burst of flavour hit her, making her cough and splutter. It wasn’t a good flavour, it was tongue-numbing and burning, as if it were…

“Black pepper,” Yato called out, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face as Hiyori raced to the bathroom to wash her mouth out. “I did say they were _every flavour_.”

 

~

 

After an ear lashing from Hiyori, the trio decided to reconvene in the Great Hall at noon when Christmas dinner would be served. All traces of the chocolate frog had vanished. _Perhaps it had melted somewhere,_ Hiyori thought as she suspiciously checked her shoes for the magical treat.

She packed her new clothes and books away neatly in the chest at the foot of her bed, but kept the card from the chocolate frog on her bedside cabinet to admire. Yukine had picked it up during the frog escapade before returning it as they were ushered out of the common room. She looked at the card to see a woman smiling back at her, the name _‘Helga Hufflepuff’_ inscribed above her in gold lettering.

_“It’s a magic card,” he’d explained, stepping out of the door, “famous witches and wizards. Don’t be surprised if she vanishes.”_

Hiyori had no idea what he meant until she glanced at it again as she left the room, seeing the hexagonal frame now devoid of the woman. Hiyori squinted at it, sure that her eyes were deceiving her, yet she was gone. It seemed that even the photographs could wander as they pleased just as the portraits did.

Dressed down in jeans and her Gryffindor sweater, Hiyori made her way to the Great Hall where Yato and Yukine were waiting outside. With another exchange of festive greetings they entered the hall, finding that the final touches had been added to the displays overnight.

The usually forest of candles that hung overhead had tripled in size, a haze of flickering gold beneath a silver sky. Even more holly and mistletoe had been strung around the room, all but masking the house flags with leafy foliage and red and white berries. Although the goblets still burned fierce and bright, it had no effect of the wintery decoration.  Snow crystals fluttered down from the ceiling and laced together to drape over the tables, refusing to melt as if enchanted to resist the warmth.

The Christmas trees had been accordingly decorated in tribute of each house; scarlet, gold, sapphire and emerald tinsel adorned them in a pattern. The trees seemed to follow the same pattern, the house colours being the main décor and speckled with each houses sigils: golden lions, silver snakes, onyx badgers and bronze eagles.

The other students who had stayed for Christmas had filed into the Great Hall, scattered on the four tables intermingling with each other. Yato led to the way to what is usually the Hufflepuff table, but had been overtaken by small groups of students that had no tell-tale signs of which houses they were in. Hiyori was once again sandwiched between the two boys who jostled her as they reached for plates.

From the platters which were generously piled with even more food than they had the previous night, they filled their plates: golden turkey, roasted potatoes, pigs in blankets, heaps of veg and the special festive treats they seldom saw. Hiyori nearly threw a mince pie at Yato as he teasingly waved a Christmas cracker in her direction, making Hiyori fervently lean away from him and warn him about what spell she would use on him to make his life a misery.

“Sure you can actually cast the spell?” Yato said, amused as Hiyori tried to keep her face from splitting into a good-natured smile.

“Watch it, Yato.”

The meal lasted much longer than they expected. They chatted, mainly about classes and the wizarding world until Yato asked about Hiyori’s life at home. Maybe it was for Yukine’s sake as he hardly knew anything about her, or perhaps because Yato’s curiosity had got the better of him. This simplest thing astounded them all: school from the age of 5 rather than 11, the use of cars, mobile phones, Wi-Fi, even toasters.

Yukine’s attention was completely captured, asking questions which had obvious answers for someone who was muggle, but completely foreign to a wizard who had never set foot in the muggle world. Yato on the other hand seemed to know about a few of the common things, nodding as he focused on his food and downplayed his interest in case Hiyori teased him.

Once their plates lay in ruins and they were too full to continue, they sat quietly thinking of what to do with the rest of the day. The sky outside was dark despite being late afternoon; too early to sleep and too cold to go outside. The common rooms would now be full of people playing festive games and making the most of their free time, so the trio were stuck in limbo until Yato spoke up.

“There’s a study area up on the fourth floor,” he said lazily, “I hide out there when I skip class.”

Yato pushed himself away from the table, standing up and stretching his arms over his head and giving a wide yawn. He looked down at Hiyori and Yukine expectantly. “You coming?”

With exchanged looks and shrugs they both rose from the table and ambled out of the room, following Yato as he weaved through the castle passages neither of the first years had walked before. Pushing open a door – hardly noticeable due to its plainness– Yato led the way into the room, ducking his head slightly under the low archway.

Inside was a room that looked barely used, dust had piled up on the bookshelf except from a few books which had been disturbed. The large fireplace was unlit, a large portrait of a snoozing wizard hung above it, oblivious to the entrance of the students. A collection of books and parchments lay strewn over the lone couch in the room as well as over the low table in front of it. Empty cups showing there had been someone in there, though it must have been weeks ago as mould had begun to grow over whatever remnants had fermented at the bottom of each mug. Hiyori wouldn’t be surprised if it were Yato who left such a mess.

Yato leaned behind the sofa, producing a clutch of blankets and pillows which were stashed behind it in the corner. He threw them on the sofa, telling Hiyori and Yukine to make themselves at home whilst he went over to the fireplace. Within moments he had started a small fire and begun to feed it with parchment and wood. Hiyori pulled a blanket around herself, opting to sit on the floor rather than the sofa where several mysterious stains dyed the plush red velvet. Yukine sat on the edge of the sofa, his back against the arm rest as he pulled his knees up to his chest and pulled a blanket over his head like a shroud. Both of them watched Yato work on the fire before he began to speak.

 “I stay here a lot,” Yato said, his voice slightly muffled as his head was turned away, “so I might as well keep some stuff here.”

Hiyori wore a soft frown. It sounded unusual that he would stay here rather than his dorm, but she knew better than to question it. Yato continued to talk, filling the silence as he talked about what seemed to be his makeshift home.

“It has secret passages too,” He straightened up, pointing to both the bookcase and a tapestry hanging on the far side of the room before joining Yukine on the sofa who had closed his eyes, not bothering to fight his drowsiness. “Helpful for getting around the castle in a hurry.”

Hiyori gazed at the bookcase, giving a slow nod as she processed the information. Everything Yato was saying had a hint of a sinister backstory: supplies, secret passages, getting away in a hurry. _Did he have his own problems? Did something happen after he saved her from the bully?_ A swirl of questions lay on her tongue waiting to be asked, but she swallowed them thickly. It was easier to start with a simpler question, one that maybe wasn’t as touchy.

“So,” she began, tucking the blanket closely around her shoulders, “when is the next quidditch match?”

“End of February – Slytherin vs Ravenclaw.” Yato replied, tipping his head back and closing his eyes.

Hiyori thought about it for a moment. _Slytherin won their match against Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw won their match in November against Hufflepuff._ “So… whoever wins his match will take the lead?”

Yato grunted a yes. Hiyori nudged the conversation towards brooms, wanting to know more about the rare and luxuriously expensive broom Yato had acquired.

“Does Kazuma have a Nimbus 2000 too? Do all the Seekers get one?” Hiyori asked carefully, acting like it was a causal question instead of one she had been dying to ask since the day before. If Seekers get brooms like those, she would definitely want to try out for it when she was allowed to play. Though she would need a lot of flying practice…

“No.” Yato said gruffly, his tone changing. Hiyori quietly bit her lip. She would never know if she didn’t persevere despite his prickly attitude.

“So, it was a present?”

“Something like that.”

“You didn’t steal it, did you?” Hiyori said jokingly, trying to tighten the mood.

Yato was quiet for a moment – a long moment – before he said in a monotone voice: “I wouldn’t call it stealing.”

Hiyori’s eyes widened, her mouth opening a bit. _He must be joking!_ Silence followed as Hiyori stared at him until Yato lifted his head again, meeting her eyes levelly. Seriousness was etched into his expression, into his piercing eyes which seemed to dare her to say something about it.

Suddenly, he broke out into a smile, the ominous aura vanishing completely as he made a double finger guns sign at her.

“Gotcha.”

A faint relief washed over Hiyori, but his cold glare was fresh in her memory as if it had looked right into her heart. She laughed a bit, the tension cracking like thin ice on a sunny day.

Yato nudged Yukine with his toe, striking up a new conversation with a small protest from Yukine which was subdued as Yato started asking if they had learnt fire magic yet. Hiyori sat comfortably, her arms hugging her knees as she listened to the conversation slowly turn in to an extensive masterclass in flame magic. The two of them sat in front of the fire as Yato conjured fireballs to spit into the growing flames and boasted about other advanced magic he had perfected already. Talk turned to second year classes and spells.

Hiyori’s mind drifted, remembering the spells that Yato had used against the troll. _He didn’t mention them, so were they even higher grade spells?_ So many questions were ready to drip off her tongue but the lull of their voices made it very hard to stay awake and work out a way to bring up the topic. She hadn’t noticed she had rested her shoulder against the sofa, her head drooping to lie against the pillow.

‘ _It smells nice…’_ was her final thought before she slipped into sleep, blissfully ignorant of Yukine who had nudged Yato and jutted his chin at her as she began to slide backwards, sure to hit the floor. Yato smiled slightly, standing up and grabbing a spare cushion from the sofa to put it on the floor behind her. Trying not to disturb her, he put an arm behind her and pushed her back gently with his other hand, easing her down so she lay comfortably on the pillow.

Without a second thought, he returned to the fireplace to continue his lesson. The Hufflepuff and the Slytherin sat together, talking in low voices as to not wake the sleeping Gryffindor until night fell.

Both uncertain if they should wake her, they opted to wait until she woke up herself. She had to wake up at some point after all, but neither of them expected it wouldn’t be until the following morning when they had both fallen asleep on the sofa, heads resting against each other as the wintry dawn broke through the small window.

**Author's Note:**

> God, what dorks. Yato needs to learn to be a gentleman.


End file.
